1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a developer apparatus which comprises a toner carrier roller which carries toner on a surface thereof, an image forming apparatus and a developing method of developing an electrostatic latent image with toner using this roller.
2. Related Art
Techniques for developing an electrostatic latent image with toner include an apparatus which causes a surface of a toner carrier roller to carry toner, the toner carrier roller being shaped approximately like a cylinder. For the purpose of improving the characteristics of toner carried on the surface of such a toner carrier roller, the applicant of the present application has earlier disclosed a structure of a toner carrier roller having a cylindrical shape that the surface of the roller includes convex sections which are regularly arranged and a concave section which surrounds the convex sections (JP-A-2007-127800). Since the concavo-convex patterns in the surface are regulated and uniform, such a structure is advantageous in that it permits easy control of the thickness of a toner layer which is carried on the surface of the roller, the charge level and the like.